Copyright © 2006-2008 Robert D. Hosken, M.Min., D.Min.
We have already begun considering Mark's version of the Great Commission, so let us examine it now in its entirety:
"He said to them, "Go into all the world, and preach (kerusso) the Good News to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages; they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.' So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. They went out and preached (kerusso) everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen" (Mark 16:15-20).
Proclaiming (kerusso) the Good News means "to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel): - preach (-er), proclaim, publish."1 Proclaiming or preaching is the effort to convince people of divine truth so that they will act upon it. Immediately we notice in the semantic field of kerusso the association with certain signs: casting out demons, speaking with new languages, being cured from poison, and laying hands on the sick so that they recover. When we proclaim the Good News in the power of the Holy Spirit, it should be confirmed by these signs. Each one of these signs can be viewed in a combination of ways, as both natural and supernatural acts, blending almost imperceptibly from one into the other.
Demon possession in the New Testament is interpreted in our secular age today to mean psychological disorders, but we must not discount the reality of negative supernatural forces. Volitional decisions leading to evil acts can open a person spiritually to these evil supernatural forces so that he forfeits control to them. Deciding to over-imbibe alcoholic drinks or to take narcotic drugs (Gal. 5:20) has both physical and spiritual consequences.
Question:
1. What English word in Gal. 5:20 was translated from the Greek word farmakeia?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
witchcraft
idolatry
gluttony
Considering the convergence of natural and supernatural from a positive viewpoint, I have studied hard to learn Russian and Udmurt languages, but I am no poet or musician, yet I've experienced times during worship when words in those languages came to me in rhyme and meter, and I jotted down songs far beyond my natural ability to write. This happened 10 and 15 years ago, and the songs are still being sung in Russia today. We have already commented on the laying on of hands during massage and exercise combined with the prayer of faith for healing. According to Mark's version of the Great Commission, such signs should accompany proclamation (kerygma) to confirm the truth of the Gospel.
A very important part of proclaiming the Good News is calling people to repent. Preachers today are often afraid to name specific sins and urge people to repent: lying, sexual promiscuity, adultery, cheating on tests and on taxes, giving and taking bribes, misstating financial reports in business, greed and gluttony are all considered by many contemporary people as alright to do if the situation demands it. We must denounce such "situational ethics" as sin, and call people to repent of these acts. Jesus did this in His ministry: "From that time, Jesus began to preach (kerusso), and to say, 'Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'" And a few verses later we read - "Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching (kerusso) the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people" (Mat. 4:17 and 23).
So Jesus' preaching was associated both with the call to repent and with healing disease and disability. When Jesus initiated His earthly ministry, He quoted from Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news (euaggelizo) to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim (kerusso) release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim (kerusso) the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19). Again, proclaiming is accompanied by healing, which can occur when a person repents.
Question:
2. What call must accompany kerusso? (See Acts 2:38.) Why is this important? Explain.
True repentance is more than mere words, "I've sinned and I'm sorry," it is a change of behavior. On our evaluation form that we use when interviewing new clients, after taking their medical history, analyzing their problems and developing a rehabilitation plan, we have the following:
"I want to be rehabilitated, and therefore I am ready to change my lifestyle.
Signature: I, ___________________, agree to follow this plan."
So many people, even after suffering a serious illness or injury, think that somehow everything will be "just fine" and they don't need to change. They think the government, or modern medicine, or God ought to take care of them, they don't need to take care of themselves. We make them face the fact that only if they are willing to change and take responsibility for their life, only then will we help rehabilitate them. And only when a person truly repents and is ready to change his ways will God save him from the consequences of his sins.
Question:
3. Why must you insist that people sign an evaluation form and a plan for rehabilitation? How is this related to metanoia-repentance?
We find this same emphasis on repentance in the preaching of His disciples: "He called to himself the twelve, and began to send them out two by two; and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits. …They went out and preached (kerusso) that people should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil who were sick, and healed them." (Mark 6:7 and 12-13, see also Mat. 10:1-8 and Luke 9:1-2). Mark emphasizes casting out demons, along with Matthew and Luke's mention of healing the sick accompanying the proclamation of the Good News.
After Christ's resurrection, Peter was first to take this Good News to the gentiles when he went to Caesarea and proclaimed to Cornelius that Jesus "went around doing good and healing everyone who was under the power of the devil" and "He commanded us to preach (kerusso) to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:38 and 42-43). Paul's preaching included both healing and calling for repentance to receive remission of sins, and in this case it was accompanied by the sign of speaking in tongues.
From time to time we find ourselves asking the "so what?" question. Of course, Jesus and the apostles did those things, but so what? Why is it relevant today? What we need today is strong churches made up of young, healthy, wealthy and successful people! So why waste time on the elderly, lame, sick and blind? They can't contribute to our building programs, and if they show up in church they'll scare away all the normal people. Besides, it takes an enormous amount of time and money to work with those people! What did Jesus have to say about this? First, He taught that at His second coming He would separate people into two groups: those who ministered to the hungry, thirsty, lonely, naked, sick and prisoners thus ministered to Him were ushered into His eternal Kingdom, but those who did not care for these despised social outcasts performed no genuine ministry to Christ and were cast to eternal fire (Mat. 25:31-46).
Then a little later, when His disciples shouted - "Why this waste?" about the woman who poured expensive ointment on Him, Jesus replied to them: "Why do you trouble the woman? Because she has done a good work for me. For you always have the poor with you; but you don't always have me. For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached (kerusso) in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her" (Mat. 26:10-13). Thus we see that Matthew identified ministering to the poor with ministering to Christ, and is accompanied by kerusso. By the way, John's version of this event tells us that it was Judas who objected to this "waste," because he was a thief and merely wanted to sell the ointment and get his hands on the money (Jn. 12:4-6). We know what happened to Judas. What is our motivation: genuine ministry to Christ, or love of money?
Question:
4. How was Jesus glorified (see John 12:23-25 and 13:31-33), and how did the Apostle Peter glorify God at the end of his life (see Jn. 21:18-19)?
The Apostle Paul outlines the entire process of preaching, gaining a response of repentance and faith, and having the person confess Christ publicly in Rom. 10:8-15a (MKJV) -
"But what does it say? 'The Word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart'; that is, the Word of Faith which we proclaim (kerusso); because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved (sodzo). For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation (soteria). For the Scripture says, 'Everyone believing on Him shall not be put to shame.' For there is no difference both of Jew and of Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call on Him. For everyone, 'whoever shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved (sodzo).' How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching (kerusso)? And how shall they preach (kerusso) unless they are sent?"2
Bishop Barkley, the British philosopher, stated: "Belief is the disposition to act." Faith or belief, as we see here in Romans 10, is not "armchair faith," mere mental assent to logical propositions or doctrines; it is the disposition, the willingness to:
a) Be sent (apostello) to a place where people don't agree with you,
b) Boldly proclaim divine truth and try to convince those people to repent and change,
c) Lead them to the point of salvation and healing (soteria), and
d) Bring them to the point of unashamedly confessing their new faith to others.
Question:
5. What are the 4 points in Rom. 10:8-15а?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
healing, speaking in tongues, prophecy and holy laughter.
preaching, repentance, receiving faith, and public confession of Christ.
idolatry, witchcraft, strife, and gluttony
Our faith must be more than something that is taught, it must be caught! We mustn't keep it to ourselves, we must transmit it to others in such a compelling way that they in turn transmit it to still others. That involves risking rejection, danger and failure, but going and doing anyway. It is safer to stay in one's comfort zone where we know we won't fail, to passively listen and consent to truths we have already heard hundreds of times, than to get up and go into a hostile environment, and preach the Word. That is true success! We can't succeed unless we risk failure.
But this is not the worldly kind of success, where we strive to achieve wealth, power or fame for ourselves. Paul writes: "For we don't preach (kerusso) ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants (doulos) for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor. 4:5). The doulos strives to carry out his master's commands, not be involved in running after his own desires and goals. This is real ministry. Paul commanded Timothy to "preach (kerusso) the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching" (2 Tim. 4:2). The phrase "in season and out of season" is translated in the Contemporary English Version as "even if it isn't the popular thing to do."3 Urging people to repent isn't convenient or popular. We must balance reproof and rebuke with patience and teaching, in order to not drive away the flock of God. In all of this we seek to instill the character of Christ into others' lives.
Question:
6. What is true success?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
Go to where you are encircled by opponents and preach the Word.
Stay in your comfort zone and earn a pile of money.
Don't try hard, don't work, don't risk anything, so you won't experience failure.
Endnotes:
1. Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, op. cit.